By Tom Branna, Editorial Director

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Estée Lauder’s recent purchase of a minority stake in Forest Essentials, underscores the household and personal product industry’s growing interest in India, especially their interest in the benefits of Ayurveda—something that Happi has been reporting on for years.

With our September issue, Happi subscribers receive Beauty I/O, our annual supplement that looks at beauty from the inside and out. In this edition of Beauty I/O, long-time contributor Shyam Gupta provides an overview of the Ayurvedic lifestyle and includes several formulation ideas to get you started down the path toward creating Indian-inspired personal care treatments.

Interest in India is heating up as more economies around the world start to cool down. Last month, Germany, France and Italy reported that their economies contracted during the second quarter. In Germany, gross domestic product dropped 0.5% compared to the first quarter, the Federal Statistics Office said. It marked the first drop in nearly four years. In France and Italy, data showed the economies both fell 0.3% during the second quarter. Even Spain reported that second quarter GDP was up only 0.1%, the weakest showing in 15 years.

With economies around the world starting to slip, it’s no wonder why marketers are looking everywhere for growth. India, with the largest middle class population in the world, has become a popular target. By acquiring a piece of Forest Essentials, Estée Lauder is strengthening the link between East and West.